


Change

by Yaushibee



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Genderbending, Rule 63
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-01-21
Packaged: 2018-05-14 04:04:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5728897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yaushibee/pseuds/Yaushibee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a summer away from each other, a few things change between Chat Noire and Lady Beetle that neither expected. Chat Noire being a head taller than her partner, for example, was one of them. Another was their feelings for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Growth

It had been two months since he had seen her, the summer break splitting them apart due to various commitments neither could go into much detail about. But while Marin remained in Paris, Chat Noire had completely left the country. Not having her around filled his patrols with a silence he wasn't used to. The city was quiet in other ways as well, as not a single akuma had sprung up in her absence. It put Marin on edge not knowing when disaster would strike and he would have to take care of it by himself.

Thankfully he didn't have to fret for long, as Chat Noire's return date arrived and even if he hadn't actually _seen_  her yet, he was at ease just knowing she was back.

He felt something else with her return, a great anticipation at the thought of how noisy his patrols would be once again. The lack of company, while nice at first, had made the task a chore, when normally it was his favorite part of the day. Near the end he even had to hype himself up in order to leave the house.

Now he was raring to go, nearly bursting at the seams since he woke up. The clock ticked by fast as he helped around the bakery and filled the hours with other activities but it was still too slow for his taste. By the time for patrol actually arrived, he could barely contain his excitement.

"You're awfully hyper tonight." Tikki commented, her tone good-natured as she watched Marin buzz around the bedroom. He had only to clean up a few stray clothes and boxes around his room before he could go and he wanted to get it done as fast as possible.

"I'm just a bit excited for patrol is all." He admitted, shoving a shirt into his dresser drawer haphazardly; he'd properly deal with it later.

Tikki considered him carefully, glancing at the calendar on the wall before looking back at him. "Today Chat Noire is back." She said.

Marin stopped, his room effectively "cleaned," and took a seat at his desk. He swiveled in the chair to face the kwami, who was perched atop his computer monitor. "It won't be so boring tonight." Marin shrugged, trying to downplay how eager he actually felt.

Tikki noted how her partner's foot tapped antsily on the floor and the barely contained grin that threatened to stretch across his face. She smiled, some hidden meaning behind it that he didn't pick up on. "Well then, let's go!"

Marin stood, brushing aside the loose hair in front of his ears to reveal the plain black piercings. "Tikki, Spots On!"

A burst of light filled the room and moments later Lady Beetle emerged from the out cove on the roof and was swinging towards his destination above the Paris skyline.

* * *

 

Lady Beetle touched down on the rooftop of their usual meeting place and took a seat near the ledge. Chat Noire wasn't here yet--he was early to be honest--and he figured sitting would be better than pacing around.

He still couldn't control his antsiness though and found himself swinging his yoyo up and down like a regular one. When that grew boring, he tried several tricks he knew. He got quite into it, his concentration on doing a Lindy Loop only shattering when a soft chuckle sounded behind him.

"Having fun?" Chat Noire asked.

He reeled back his yoyo before he turned to greet her. "Just a little." He admitted with a small grin.

She padded over to his side as he stood. "Ready to go then, my liege?"

Lady Beetle rolled his eyes at the title but stopped midway when he noticed something was off. He had to look _up_ to meet her eyes. His gaze quickly shot down, searching for some sort of box she was surely standing on but found none. His brows screwed together and his gaze returned to her face, the gears in his head trying to process this new abnormality.

At his staring, Chat tilted her head to the side in confusion. "My liege?"

"Did you get taller?" Lady Beetle blurted out.

Chat blinked several times at him before seeming to register their sudden height difference. She took a step back, studying him with an unreadable expression.

When she didn't say anything, Lady Beetle continued. "You're at least a head taller than me now." As he said this, he realized there had been _other_ changes to her too. Her face shape was slightly sharper, her hair was longer, her hips more pronounced, and her chest--he quickly ceased his line of thought there, hoping she wouldn't notice the sudden heat on his face.

"I did grow a bit while I was away." Chat finally affirmed.

"A bit!" Lady Beetle gaped. "Try a few meters! You're a giant now!"

Chat worried her bottom lip and by her expression he could tell she was bothered. He shouldn't have been so insensitive, Lady Beetle realized too late. He opened his mouth to speak--to say an apology or something else that probably wouldn't be well thought out--but she cut him off. "Let's go patrol."

Before he could object or say anything, she launched herself off the roof, using her baton to land onto the building across the street.

Lady Beetle silently scolded himself before quickly following after. "Chat, wait up!" He called though she kept going. With the added length to her legs, she had managed to keep ahead of him for several blocks. Only when he practically ran after her did he catch up.

"Chat." He said, latching onto her arm to keep her in place.

She didn't pull away but she didn't look him in the eye either and he could tell he had really hurt her. ' _Way to go, Marin_.' he silently chided himself.

There was a long pause, as Lady Beetle tried to think of what to say. Finally he settled on a simple apology first. "I'm sorry, Chat." He said sincerely, letting go of her arm to rub the back of his neck. "That was asinine of me."

Slowly, Chat turned her striking green eyes to him. Her mouth twitched upward a little but he could still see the vulnerability in her eyes so he forged on. "I was surprised, I didn't expect to suddenly be shorter than you." Lady Beetle said, watching her carefully. "Though that's no excuse for my reaction."

"It's O.K.." Chat said with a minuscule smile.

"I'm really sorry!" Lady Beetle blurted again.

Chat shrugged lightly. "It's fine, LB. I expected this from my classmates anyway." There was something she left off there and he realized it on his own: She knew how others would react, stupidly and without thought, but she hadn't expected it from _him_ , her partner and her friend.

Now Lady Beetle felt really horrible.

"Well, for the record," he began, meeting her gaze evenly--his head had to crane upward to do so, certainly something that would take some getting used to--"I think it's fine that you're taller. And you look nice. You look nice taller, I mean and I-I'm glad to have you back. Uh, I mean, that you're back. It's good. That you're back. And taller, uh.."

Somehow the jumble of sentences he had just splurged pulled a genuine laugh out of the girl, a smile lighting up her face. It put him at ease, to see the hurt gone from her features, but her smile also set his heart racing at an unfamiliar (when around _this_  blonde, anyway) rhythm that he wasn't quite sure how to react to.

"Thanks, Bug." Chat grinned, swinging her hips to one side so her tail flicked the other way. She was certainly back to her usual self. "I missed you, too."

Lady Beetle's ears heated up at the statement, the pace of his heart quickening. He had never directly said he missed her but hearing her say it made him realize that he indeed had. No wonder Tikki had looked at him like she had earlier... He cleared his throat to give some retort but his attention belatedly caught on the new nickname. "Did you just call me 'Bug?'"

Chat only grinned wider. "Yes. You're a small bug to me, after all."

Now Lady Beetle's cheeks turned red for another reason. Bug! He wasn't _that_ short, he was still average height for his age! With one look at her face though, the obstinate denial of the nickname died on his tongue. Despite righting the situation, he still deserved the nickname after hurting her like he had. He'd hit his growth spurt too one of these days and surpass her in height again but until then he could handle another nickname.

"It's not like I shrunk." He muttered half-heartedly instead, not saying anything further as his partner giggled and pulled out her staff.

"Ready for patrol, Bug?" She asked, twirling the weapon in her hands.

Lady Beetle returned her smile, pulling his yoyo from his waist. "After you, Kitten."

 


	2. Another Change

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a bit of a lapse between this and the last chapter as these fics were originally only meant to be loosely connected. I might go back later and fill in the gaps (like Marin seeing Adrienne taller than him for the first time) but for now just keep in mind that some time has passed in this since chapter one. 
> 
> Many thanks to death-rae on tumblr for being my beta for this.

 

Marin stretched his arms above his head, rolling the knots out of his shoulders and neck.

The Akuma attack earlier in the day had left his whole body tense and the end of exam period at school had only added to his stress levels over the week. Now it was the weekend and he was allowed a small breather. Well, from school, at least; the Akumas liked to play by their own schedule, unfortunately. But for the time being, the city was quiet and Marin could breathe easy.

He leaned against the railing of his balcony, taking in the peacefulness of the night. Tikki had stayed inside his room, claiming it too cold a night to be outside, but Marin relished the chill in the air. It was a vast contrast to the rolling flames he'd faced as Lady Beetle that morning, in any case. More than once he'd narrowly avoided becoming charbroiled by the Akuma's attacks, though the photo shoot where it had started was not so lucky.

A movement out of the corner of his eye caught Marin's attention, his body tensing for battle out of reflex. But when he saw the sway of a tail and blonde locks that stood out against the black of night, he instantly relaxed.

Chat Noire was on the roof of the lycée, not seeming to have even noticed him. She didn't seem to be heading anywhere fast either, aimlessly circling the rooftop like a lost kitten.

He didn't know what possessed him to do so, but Marin called out her name.

The feline hero jumped, whipping around to search for his voice. It didn't take her long to find him, her enhanced eyesight helping with that no doubt, but she didn't take any action to move away from where she was. It struck him as odd, since she normally stopped by his balcony without reservation whether she had an invitation or not.

She was just staring, actually, so Marin waved her over.

There was a moment's hesitation before she used her baton to vault herself across the street. She landed on the railing with all the grace of a real cat.

"Something up, Handsome?" She greeted, the usual purr in her voice missing.

"There isn't. I just saw you over there and thought something might be up with _you_." Marin shrugged. He carefully watched her expression as her lips pursed briefly before she made her decision to stay and hopped down onto the roof.

She leaned her back against the railing before speaking, her right hand tugging at a lock of her hair. It looked slightly singed even in the dim lighting. "Nothing really, I was just thinking maybe I should do something about this unruly hair of mine." She smiled playfully at him but it didn't reach her eyes.

Marin thought back to earlier. She hadn't been as lucky as he was in avoiding the flames, and had gotten a bit of her hair burned. She had been very distraught over it... which surprised him, considering how unkempt her hair was every time he saw her. He honestly didn't think she cared how it looked. Then again, if his hair had been fried, he knew he'd have a bit of a time explaining that to his friends and parents.

By her behavior though, he knew it was more than a few crispy split ends that was bothering her.

"Well, if you want my opinion on it..." He let the sentence trail off, allowing Chat to cut in if she wanted. When she didn't, he continued. "Honestly, you shouldn't change anything about it. Your hair is beautiful. Or at least that's what I think." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously, unable to meet the sudden intensity of her gaze. "Messy or singed or whatever, it's fine as it is."

There was a stretch of silence between them after his honest admission. Neither said anything. It took Marin a minute to even look up at her for her reaction. His heart skipped a beat when he finally did.

She was staring at him, wide-eyed and rosy-cheeked, her mouth hanging open in a delicate "o" shape. It wasn't a reaction he was expecting, or frankly, one that he knew how to handle.

"Do you mean that?" She asked, her voice just above a whisper.

"Of course," Marin answered, without missing a beat.

He truly loved those blonde curls. He loved watching how they bounced when she ran ahead of him and how her bangs would fall into her eyes in battle. He'd ended up with a face full of her curls often enough during their partnership, and it always surprised him how deceptively nice they smelled and how silky to the touch they actually were.

But he was Marin and not Lady Beetle right now, and he couldn't say those things, because _Marin_ wasn't the one who knew all that. And he couldn't say them as Lady Beetle, because that would be admitting to something he wasn't quite sure he was ready for yet.

So he settled for a simpler truth. "I love your hair."

Her lips quivered, and for a moment he thought she was going to cry, before they split into a elated grin that lit up her whole face. Whatever he had said, it erased the worry from her features completely. "Thank you, Marin." She said gratefully and leaned over to plant a quick peck on his cheek.

His face quickly flushed red and she laughed merrily at his reaction. "You're a real sweet talker, you know? I'll see you around, Handsome." She said, hopping up onto the railing and darting off into the night before he could say anything more.

Well, now he was tense for a whole other reason that had much more to do with the rapid beating in his chest and a girl with a halo of golden curls.

* * *

 

"Can I kiss you?"

Marin blinked.

By chance or by fate, Chat Noire had ended up on his balcony again, now weeks later, and their friendly conversation had somehow gravitated to them standing mere inches apart. This wasn't the only time this had happened, but it _was_ the first time either of them had asked something like that. Now she stared at him with an unreadable expression as the full weight of her question dawned on him.

His answer came faster than he expected, as without a second of hesitation he leaned upwards and crashed his lips onto hers. She responded immediately, crouching down enough so that he wouldn't have to stand on his tip-toes to reach her.

This wasn't their first kiss—or at least it wasn't in _his_ memory—but it knocked the wind out of him just the same.

They pulled back a moment later, Marin breathing heavy and Chat looking breathless. She blinked owlishly at him, as though she couldn't believe what had just transpired. He wondered if she regretted it, a flash of guilt flaring in his own mind over just betraying his feelings for Adrienne. Though this wasn't new to him. For a while now he had known he felt something beyond friendship for Chat Noire.

Flirting or no, the question was if she truly felt the same way. But even if she did, those feelings wouldn't be for him; they would have to be for Lady Beetle.

And yet it was _him_ , Marin, that she had kissed.

He didn't have time to think about it anymore, as Chat seemed to have reached some resolve with her own feelings and had stepped forward to close the gap between them once more. He glanced up, meeting her heated gaze for a second before their lips met again.

This kiss wasn't as chaste as the last, her lips nearly melting into his as his hands found purchase at her hips. Likewise, her arms wound around him to pull him tighter to her. Their height difference made things awkward, but they worked around it as the kiss deepened.

His hands wandered upward until they found home in her hair and he rejoiced at being able to finally touch the locks with his bare hands. Likewise, her hands had moved to the nape of his neck to play with the short strands there. It pulled a purr out of him, much to his embarrassment, and Chat reeled back, unable to contain her laughter.

"Now who is the cat here?" She teased.

He pouted but he didn't stay resigned for long when he took in her full visage of extremely mussed hair, swollen and smiling lips, and the tinge of pink on her cheeks. A stupid pride filled him at knowing he had been the one to make her look that way. Though he didn't doubt he looked much the same because of her, and he could already imagine Tikki's confused reaction when she saw him.

Which reminded him...

He swallowed back his nerves. "Chat, there's something I have to tell you."

His partner's laughter died out at his serious tone. "What is it?" She asked, curiously cocking her head to the side.

"I, uh," His courage left him. "I can't tell you right now but I will. Soon."

Her brows furrowed, trying to read his expression, before she sighed and shook her head. "Alright," she complied. "But don't keep me waiting too long. Curiosity killed the cat, you know." She gave him a Cheshire grin.

"I promise." He nodded solemnly. She deserved to know who he actually was, especially now that this...shift had happened between them. They were no longer just partners.

"Good." She smiled wider. "Oh, but it's getting late and this feline should be getting home."

"Alright."

"...Marin."

"Yeah?"

"I have to go." She laughed and Marin realized that he still had his hands tangled in her hair. Reluctantly, he released them and his arms fell to his sides.

She smiled at his bereft state. "Oh, don't look so glum, this kitty always returns." She said before planting a lasting kiss on his lips that made him weak in the knees. "I'll see you soon, handsome."

"Bye." Marin replied as she pulled away and retreated into the night with an extra sway in her hips. He stumbled dumbly over to the window into his room, already missing her warmth.

"You were out there for a long time," Tikki commented as he jumped down onto his bed, the Kwami having stayed inside rather than join him for another cold night.

"Chat came to visit," he answered honestly, flopping down onto the pillows. He could still feel his heart pounding in his chest, and wondered if it would ever calm down.

"Oh? What did you talk about?" Tikki asked, landing beside his head.

"We didn't do much talking," Marin mumbled before rolling over. He met the Kwami's gaze steadily. "I'm going to tell her who I am."

Tikki gasped. "Are you sure?"

"It's only right, after what just happened."

"What do you mean? What happened?"

Marin didn't exactly feel like telling her he had just kissed Chat multiple times so he skirted around the question. "I think I like her," he confessed. The image of striking green eyes, wild blonde hair, and the sweet jingle of her laughter filled his mind and he shook his head.

"No, I think I love her."

* * *

 

Adrienne threw herself into her pillows immediately after she got home, her transformation slipping off her. Plagg floated above her and watched with disinterest as she laid completely still for several minutes before she yelped and flipped around to face the Kwami.

"I kissed him!" She exclaimed, her hands covering her flushed cheeks.

"Yes, I know. I was there for the whole thing, thank you very much." He replied flatly.

"He kissed me back!"

"Can I please get something to eat?"

"What is it that he wanted to tell me!"

"Maybe that that wasn't your first kiss."

The response didn't even reach her as she rolled back around and squealed into her pillows. "I kissed Marin!" Her words coming out muffled as she went full circle in her thoughts.

"Careful or someone will hear you." Plagg sighed, leaving her for her desk in search of hidden cheese. "So if you're like this now, how do you plan to face him at school with a straight face?"

That caught her attention. "I don't know. Do you think I should tell him who I really am?" She turned her face toward him as he looted her drawers.

"You could."

"Do you think it's a bad idea?"

"You'll do it even if I tell you not to." Plagg shrugged.

Adrienne pushed up from her mattress, brushing her hair out of her face. "That's not true."

The Kwami gave her an even look. "You didn't even hear what I said earlier, I doubt you'll listen to me now."

"Huh?" Adrienne blinked. "What did you say earlier?"

"Nothing, nothing. Now seriously, I'm starving. Where are the goods?"


	3. Similar Developments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go after this. Thanks again to death-rae on tumblr for being my beta!

Adrienne sat in the backseat of the car, the ride quiet except for the insistent tapping of her foot on the carpet. More than once her chauffeur had cast her an annoyed look in the mirror but he didn't say anything, knowing it never did any good to correct her. The girl was always fidgeting in some way, whether it was tapping her fingers or repeatedly clicking a pen. It was a bad habit, one she was often scolded by her mother for, but her need to be moving at all times could hardly be contained.

That was especially true this morning, as Adrienne was nearly bouncing off the walls with pent-up energy. It already took all her effort to quench the urge to smile, let alone stop the tapping.

Last night she had been in somewhat of a state of disbelief. She had kissed Marin. And while she wasn't exactly sure what it meant or how it affected her feelings for Lady Beetle, she'd be damned if she wasn't excited to see Marin at school today. She knew without Plagg's (unvoiced but very transparent) disapproval that it was too soon to let the cat out of the bag and reveal her identity to him, but she was determined to greet Marin and have a nice conversation with him, at least.

Unfortunately, a morning photo shoot kept her from school until midday and just prolonged her antsiness. ' _Maybe it would have been quicker to transform and run to school as Chat Noire._ ' Adrienne mused, looking out at the heavy lunchtime traffic ahead of their car. It would be any wonder if she made it to class on time at this rate. Her frown twisted into a smile. ' _Actually, that isn't such a bad idea._ '

"I'll walk from here." Adrienne announced, grabbing her school bag from the seat and quickly stepping out of the car before the chauffeur could object.

She crossed over to the sidewalk and continued walking casually, feeling the chauffeur's eyes on her. Only when she rounded a corner and was safely out of sight did she break into a jog, looking for any alleyways she could transform in. She grinned when she spotted one.

"This is stupid." Plagg complained around a block of his favorite cheese.

"It'll be quicker and I'm already late as it is." Adrienne said, gently pulling him out of her bag by the scruff of his neck.

The Kwami heaved a sigh. "Fine."

"Plagg. Claws out!" 

* * *

Marin shut the classroom door behind him and headed for the empty stairwell. A yawn escaped him as he grabbed the railing.

"You were up too late." Tikki commented, floating out of his jacket pocket.

"Whose fault is that?" he asked around another yawn. Tikki just giggled.

After admitting his feelings about Chat to Tikki last night, they had stayed up into the wee hours discussing it. In retrospect it probably not the smartest thing to do on a school night. "Anyway, I'll take a nap when I get home," Marin said, closing his eyes to rub the sleepiness out of them.

"That would be best," the Kwami said, nodding her approval. He had the feeling she was about to say something more but instead darted behind his back. His eyes shot open, about to ask what was wrong, when he found himself looking straight at Adrienne. She had been coming up the stairs at the same time he was going down them, and somehow they had both been too lost in their own worlds to notice each other until they were standing face to face.

Adrienne blinked her green eyes owlishly at him. He stared back.

The conversation he had with Tikki last night came rushing to the forefront of his mind.

" _So does your feelings for Chat mean you've moved on from Adrienne?_ "

He hadn't had an answer for her then, and he still didn't have one, especially when he was standing oh so close to Adrienne right now. The only thing he was sure of was that his heart was pounding faster with every passing second. It took Tikki pinching his arm to remind him of her presence and to pull him back to the present.

"Hey, Adrienne," Marin finally said. "I was just heading to the bathroom. Are you coming from a photo shoot?"

Adrienne blinked rapidly at the question, as if snapping back to reality herself. "Ah! Yes!" She replied loudly, making him jump. She quickly lowered her voice. "It ran a bit late though, hope I won't get in trouble for it."

"You didn't miss much, at least." Marin offered with a smile. She gave him one right back but the silence from before settled on them again. Marin shifted uncomfortably. "Well I should hurry up or I'll be the one getting trouble."

"Right," Adrienne said, "I'll see you in class then." She stepped to the side, sending a smile his way before bounding up the stairs past him.

Marin was about to say the same back to her when he caught a whiff of her scent as she brushed by him. It made the words die on his tongue and something in his mind seize up.

Tikki peeked her head over his shoulder when he didn't make any movement. "Marin?" she asked, worried.

"That's funny," Marin mumbled, more to himself than to Tikki, giving a shake of his head before he turned to continue his trek to the bathroom. "She smelled just like Chat." 

* * *

Adrienne slumped down at her desk, letting her head fall into her folded arms. " _Well that could have gone better,_ " she muttered to herself. As soon as she had seen Marin, her entire mind had gone blank. This had happened a few times around Lady Beetle, of course, but never Marin. Then again, until now she hadn't kissed Marin... Not that she could really compare when she hadn't ever kissed Lady Beetle.

She frowned then, the thought niggling at something in the back of her mind. This happened whenever she thought about kissing her partner but it always slipped out of her grasp before she could pinpoint what it was.

It seemed it was the classroom door squeaking open that served to distract her from figuring it out this time as well, and Adrienne had to resist the urge to look up as Marin made his way to his seat.

His return brought her back to the the moment on the stairwell. It had been a close one; Marin had almost seen Plagg.

Actually, at first she was afraid that he _had_ , but for once luck was on her side and the boy seemed none the wiser to the Kwami that had been hiding behind her back. Which was a good thing, because having her identity revealed by accident was far from the ideal situation.

A loud shattering noise followed by screaming broke Adrienne from her thoughts. She quickly whipped her head up at the sound and looked in every direction for its source, finding it to be the Akuma of the day. It had just broken through the window of the classroom across the way, and was already flying away with whatever strange powers it possessed.

In its departure it released a bird-like screech that shattered the windows of every room on the second floor. The scattering of broken glass sent her teacher and her other classmates into disarray, and served as the perfect distraction for Adrienne to slip out of the room unnoticed. 

* * *

"Goodbye, little bug."

Chat Noire watched Lady Beetle as he tossed his Lucky Charm—a _toothbrush_  of all things—into the air to cast a healing light over all the destruction the Akuma had caused. Within seconds all the damage was reversed.

But despite having saved the city once again, Chat wasn't feeling very high spirited. Instead she was plain confused.

The _entire_  battle Lady Beetle had kept giving her strange looks but whenever she returned the eye contact, he had quickly looked away. It had been distracting, and a bit unnerving, to say the least, and she was going to get to the bottom of it.

Ignoring the warning beep of her Miraculous, she crossed the distance to her partner and stopped just a few steps to his right.

"Good work." Lady Beetle said, extending his fist to her. She met it half way and he was about to pull his yoyo out to leave when she spoke up.

"What's eating you, LB?"

"Huh?"

Curse her habit of using 40's slang. "Is something the matter?" She said instead. "You kept looking funny at me earlier."

"I-I did?"

Chat blinked. Had Lady Beetle just stuttered? She took a step closer to him, pulling a relaxed smile onto her lips. "You did. Is there something on my face? Food in my teeth?" She prompted.

"Nothing like that." Lady Beetle shook his head. He was avoiding her gaze!

Her ring beeped again and so did his earrings. But she kept pushing, taking another step closer to him. A cat's curiosity was no joke, especially when it had to do with the object of her affections. "Then what is it?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

Lady Beetle floundered for something to say. But before he could form an actual sentence, a breeze picked up that ruffled Chat's hair into her face and his expression abruptly shifted to one of surprise. "It is the same..." He murmured and she barely caught the words.

She leaned in closer. "What is the same?"

"Ah, nothing!" Lady Beetle exclaimed, his eyes comically wide. He took a frantic step back and she watched as he fumbled, red-faced, for his yoyo. He gave it a quick toss to a rooftop nearby and she thought he was going to leave right then and there without giving a proper answer but he faltered on the ledge and looked back at her over his shoulder. "L-listen, I can't tell you right now but-But I will. Soon. I promise."

The words made Chat freeze and he swung away, leaving her standing alone on the rooftop until her transformation gave way and Plagg spiraled out of her ring.

"What a dumb boy." The Kwami muttered from his perch on her shoulder.

Adrienne didn't respond, just staring blankly at the spot where her partner had just been. Marin's words from last night replayed over and over in her head.

" _I can’t tell you right now, but  I will. Soon_."


	4. Culmination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the final (?) conclusion. Enjoy!
> 
> Also thanks goes to Ash-is-Boss and Death-rae on tumblr for beta reading this!

Adrienne set her brush down on the vanity and leaned forward to stare harshly at her reflection in the mirror. Even with copious amounts of makeup, the dark circles under her eyes were still visible. She had been able to tame her hair at least but it was little consolation when she looked like she hadn't slept in a week.

With a sigh, she pushed away from the vanity.  

In truth she really hadn't gotten much sleep last night. Her mind wouldn't shut off, trying to process all the little similarities between Lady Beetle and Marin. Everything that she had once chalked up to a coincidence, she now had to reconsider. Everything she once knew to be true, she had to second-guess. By the time dawn finally rolled around, she had reached the conclusion that the two men in her heart were in fact one and the same—or at least she was _almost_  sure they were. But being sure and being almost sure were two entirely different things... and that uncertainty weighed heavy on her and left her in a state of unease all day.

It was too much change happening too fast.

And what made matters worse was that she didn't know how she felt about this new revelation. It wasn't like Marin being Lady Beetle was a bad thing; if anything it made things less complicated for her! And yet her heart was in a gray area somewhere between elation and nervousness.

"You'd better hurry or you'll be late for the party." Plagg's voice chimed from her headboard, breaking her from her thoughts.

Adrienne looked over at him, giving a noncommittal nod before moving to the white dress bag at the end of her bed. She unzipped it to reveal the silken gown that Nathan had told her her to wear. It was a recent design of her mother's and very beautiful, to be sure. Adrienne had worn it before at a photo shoot but only for a few minutes.

She pulled it out of the bag and held it out at arm's length, admiring the fine stitching and glimmering sequins that ran along the sleeves, before turning toward her bathroom to put it on.

As she got dressed, her mind wandered back to Marin and Lady Beetle. Or really just Marin. Who was Lady Beetle. She was about ninety-six percent sure he was, anyway. No wait, ninety-seven percent. No wait—

Adrienne sighed, looking up helplessly at the ceiling.

If she thought talking with him after kissing him was difficult, then seeing him again after all this would be impossible. At least she had the rest of the weekend (assuming there were no Akuma attacks) to sort things out and get her nerves together before she'd have to face him.

* * *

 

Curse her luck.

In being so caught up in her thoughts about Marin, it had completely slipped her mind that the very important and very high-brow party that she was at was the same one Chat Noire and Lady Beetle had been invited to weeks prior. Seeing as Chat was already expected to attend as Adrienne, she had politely declined the invitation. Lady Beetle, on the other hand, had agreed to go. No doubt it was to avoid offending Mayor Bourgeois, but now it was putting her in a pickle.

Right across from her stood Lady Beetle, his back to her. He had only been at the party a couple minutes and had yet to notice her. Thankfully, her mother and Nathan were on the other side of the room conversing with other people of importance. Adrienne could easily slip away without them noticing, but before she could make the decision to do so, Lady Beetle whirled around to face her. Their eyes met instantly.

At first, his expression was surprised, much like her own—she hadn't expected him to turn around so quickly—before it morphed into something else entirely and she found herself mirroring it right back at him. Recognition. And it hit them both like lightning.

 _He knew_.

Somehow, some way, he knew that she was Chat Noire.

And _she_ knew.

With one look at his bright blue eyes, the bluest pair she had ever seen, she knew with certainty that he was Marin Dupain-Cheng.

More importantly, she could tell they each knew the _other_ knew.

Adrienne felt the breath leave her lungs as the full reality of the situation dawned on her. Neither could tear their eyes away from the other's, caught in a silent stand-off while the rest of the party carried on around them.

The moment was only broken by a hand touching Lady Beetle's shoulder and even then she could tell it took him great effort to look away from her. As soon as he did, she felt control return to her limbs and she quickly spun on her heels. She needed to get away, to think and talk with Plagg without everyone's eyes on her.

She searched the area for somewhere private she could go and noticed a staircase off to the side of the room. It led to the unlit upper level of the event hall, where the guests were not permitted. With a glance back at Lady Beetle to check if he was still occupied (he was), she quickly stole off toward the stairs.

* * *

 

Lady Beetle weaved his way through the crowd of party guests, politely waving off the ones that approached him for conversation. His pulse was pounding in his ears and he could hardly focus on anything but finding his way to Adrienne, whom he'd seen slipping off to the second floor.

Adrienne was Chat Noire.

A week ago, he would have told anyone that idea was crazy talk, but after noticing for himself that the two of them smelled exactly the same, he'd started to question just how crazy it actually was. Suddenly other similarities between Adrienne and Chat Noire stood out in his mind and he could no longer convince himself it was a coincidence. The possibility was too tangible now.

And it was a bit scary, too. Because as soon as it became clear to him, it filled him with hope and excitement. Those were things that could easily be crushed if he was wrong, and fear of that happening kept him from confronting Chat about it. He was eternally grateful that his feline partner hadn't shown up on Marin's balcony last night. He wasn't ready to face her yet.

But Marin had learned long ago that fate had a sense of humor.

On the Mayor's invitation, he had to attend a party in honor of some important person he had never heard of. He had figured it would be a breeze, because Chat had opted out of going, and it would give him time to focus on something other than the girl. It never crossed his mind that the reason she had declined was that she was already going... as _Adrienne_.

That was, until he was in the middle of a conversation with some politician and he spotted Gabrielle Agreste and her head assistant—Nathan was his name, Marin dimly recalled—across the room. He thought nothing of it at first; she was a famous fashion designer in the city so of course she would be invited to an event like this. It was only logical. Then, the realization hit him that if they were there, chances were that Adrienne would be too.

It sent his heart rate skyrocketing and he muttered an apology to the politician before swiveling around to scan the room for the blonde. He didn't have to look far. As as soon as he turned, she was standing mere steps away from him.

The moment his eyes met hers, he knew.

And the recognition on her own face was impossible to mistake; she knew he was Marin. But unlike the fear or anger he expected to feel at having his identity revealed, he felt relieved and happy. The only regret he had was not being able to tell her himself.

He needed to speak with her. While he was happy about this turn of events, he didn't know how she felt. For all he knew, she could be the one who was angry about it. Maybe she even felt hurt. But there were too many eyes on them and he could already tell they were rousing suspicion by staring at each other like this.

He had been about to try and communicate the need for privacy to her when a hand clamped down on his shoulder. It took great resolve for him to break her gaze and when he was able to look back, she was gone.

Now, though, Lady Beetle was standing at the base of the staircase. He knew this was where she had run off to, but he wondered if he was right to follow. She might need some space and it would be wrong of him to intrude on that. However, not going after her at all could be an even greater mistake, and he didn't want to risk missing this opportunity just because he was scared.

He swallowed down the nerves and began ascending the staircase.

* * *

 

Plagg watched as Adrienne paced back and forth in a dark corner she had secluded herself into. She was nervously wringing her hands together and worrying herself silly the entire time she had been upstairs. "Running away was a bad idea," she said not for the first time.

"I don't think so." He replied and she stopped mid-step to stare at him. "It's not like you could hash it out in the middle of the party. It's better that you left before something disastrous could happen."

Her mouth opened to dispute him but he continued. "He'll come up here eventually to find you and you can talk then."

Adrienne tilted her head in consideration then shook it morosely. "But what if he is upset and doesn't show up? He might not like that I'm Adrienne."

Plagg scoffed. "That's hardly an issue."

"What do you mean?" Adrienne asks, genuinely confused. Not the issue? That _was_  the issue. If Marin didn't like Adrienne, then nothing would work out.

The Kwami was about to answer but his gaze moved past her and he shook his head. "Why not ask him yourself?"

"Adrienne."

The voice made the blonde nearly jump out of her skin, and she whirled around to come face-to-face with red spots and blue eyes. She felt Plagg duck into her small purse.

"Marin." She breathed out and he flinched.

"So I guess you do know," he said with a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. Nervousness was emanating off him and she found some relief in the fact that she wasn't the only one unsure how to approach this.

"You know I'm Chat Noire." She said after a moment. It was a statement, not a question.

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

A silence pressed between them and she thought it would continue forever until Marin cleared his throat.

"About what you were wondering..." he said, his eyes slowly meeting hers. "It's not an issue."

She blinked at him, quickly biting down the surge of hope that came with his words. She couldn't afford to let herself get carried away yet. Licking her lips first, she asked. "You mean...?"

"You being Adrienne. I don't mind." Marin clarified. His gaze dropped from hers then, and he added on quietly. "More than you know."

"More than I..." She mumbled, her brows furrowing as she tried to process what he had said and what it could even mean.

"Adrienne." Marin said firmly, bringing her attention back to him. He worried his bottom lip momentarily before the the hesitation on his face was washed away by resolve. He met her gaze evenly. "Adrienne, I've always been in love with you."

Adrienne blinked at him, her face turning red as the confession slowly registered. _He was in love with her_ , her mind sang, and an immeasurable joy filled her entire being. She couldn't have contained her smile if she tried, and she didn't, even when he bashfully continued talking.

"I actually fell for you twice. First as Adrienne, and then as Chat." His face tinged with a blush as he watched her smile grow wider.

Happiness practically radiated off her and the more Chat Noire side of her came out to play when she spoke. "You charmed me twice yourself, Handsome. You really are an amazing sweet talker to do that."

Clearly, he wasn't used to something so Chat Noire coming from Adrienne as he practically choked on air at her words, his entire face and ears turning red. A laugh bubbled out of her at his reaction and affectionately she patted his back as he coughed.  

"You shouldn't spring things like that on me." Marin said once he had regained composure and stood up straight.

Adrienne grinned, ready to respond with something just as Chat-like when they both realized how close to each other they were and went speechless. The din from the party carried up through the banisters from downstairs to fill their sudden silence, but it sounded a million miles away.

He moved first, her shoulders pressing into the wall behind her as he rushed forward to capture her mouth with his. She thrilled as his left hand quickly found the small of her back, while his right wound its way to her upper arm.

Her own hands wandered, one to his forearm and the other up to his face, brushing along the edge of his mask. Her fingers trailed downward, over the bare skin of his cheek, and lingered on his jaw. The gentle touches only prompted Marin to deepen the kiss. And oh, were his lips just searing on hers.

This kiss was nothing like the other night's, which had been chaste and nervous. Tonight it was as if he couldn't get enough of her as he pressed her further and further into the wall. It made her weak in the knees and she had to grab onto his shoulder for support.

Only when both their lungs burned for air did he pull away, leaving Adrienne's head spinning. Marin didn't seem in a much better state as he tried to catch his breath, his face flushed so red it was hard to tell where his mask ended and his skin began.

' _This is a good look on him_ ,' Adrienne's addled brain noted with a small and complacent smirk.

Marin raised a brow. "What are you smiling at?"

She gave a dismissive shake of her head, keeping her appreciation of his flushed appearance to herself, before ducking down to meet his lips again. Her advance took him by surprise but he eased back into it with little resistance.

Adrienne was just itching to run her fingers through his bangs, her left hand twitching where it had migrated to the nape of his neck. But somewhere in the back of her mind she knew Paris' beloved superhero suddenly reappearing at an important social event with mussed hair wouldn't go unnoticed.

So she let her hand slide down his back instead until she reached his hips. Her other hand followed suit and she used this new leverage to tug him impossibly closer to her. Marin made a strangled noise and pulled away enough to level her with an even look. "Easy now," he warned. "We _are_  still in public."

"Why do I have a _feline_ that's more a reminder to yourself than to me?"

Marin sputtered at that, turning somehow even redder than before, and Adrienne had the decency to look at least halfway sorry (though the other half was quite chuffed).

"You're going to be the death of me, Kitten," he chastised, but the tone in his voice was too affectionate to truly be stern.

She grinned in response, her eyes sparkling warmly at the nickname before she sobered. "We probably should head back before someone comes looking for us," she said, and Marin tried to keep the disappointment off his face. She saw it regardless though, and her lips turned up mischievously.

In a blink, she had their positions flipped so that he was the one pinned to the wall. She smiled warmly at him before she leaned in to give him one last kiss. It was chaste but long-lasting and made him all sorts of weak.

"Then I'll excuse myself first," Adrienne said as she pulled away. He could only nod mutely, not trusting himself to speak, and she sauntered away, pleased, if a bit reluctant.

As soon as she was out of sight, Marin slid against the wall until he reached the floor. He sat there silently, an awe-struck expression on his face. Slowly, a smile worked its way onto his lips and he brushed his bangs back with a chuckle.

"What did I get myself into...?"

* * *

 

**EXTRA:**

Marin stopped walking when he heard his name called and turned to see Alim running towards him. The two had made plans to meet up this morning, his friend claiming he had some major news for him. He had no clue what it could be about but knowing Alim, it had to be something related to the Ladyblog.

"What's up?" Marin asked around the straw of his soda.

Alim gave a distasteful look at the bright turquoise liquid—he was never a fan of the stuff and frankly didn't know why Marin liked it—before wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulder and leading them both to a nearby bench.

Marin silently sipped his drink as Alim pulled out his phone. He kept the screen carefully pressed to his chest and Marin raised a brow. "Dude," Alim began. "I hate to be the one to break this to you but it seems your chances with Adrienne are over."

Slowly, he lowered his phone so Marin could see the image on the screen. "Look... I happened to catch them at last night's event." Marin leaned forward to take a better look.

On the display was a very HD photo of Lady Beetle and Adrienne. But not just any photo, oh no. Specifically, it was a snapshot of them _making out_ at the party.

"With competition like that it's best just to mov—"

Alim didn't get to finish as Marin spit out his entire mouthful of soda onto the phone. Alim cried out, outraged, as the blue liquid coated his device, while Marin coughed profusely, his entire face red for reasons beyond just choking on his drink.


End file.
